Clearbrook City Council meeting held using the Zoom platform
Tue, 04/21/2020 - 10:39am
admin
By:
Bonnie Kirchman
The Clearbrook City Council held its regular monthly meeting on April 13, 2020. The meeting was done on-line using the Zoom platform, allowing attendees to follow social distancing guidelines required during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prior to the meeting, new council members Rachel Nelson and Dale Volstad were sworn in at the city offices by Mayor Dylan Goudge and City Clerk Lucie Thompson. Nelson and Volstad have accepted short-term appointments to the council. The positions formerly held by Kevin Prosser and Shawn Johnson will be put on the ballot for the November 2020 election.
Jon Smith, Garden Valley Technologies Plant Manager, attended the meeting to answer any questions the council members had regarding the fiber to home project. This project, set to start on May 11th, will bring fiber optic cable to each residence in Clearbrook. A pre-construction meeting that will include city maintenance staff will be held one to two weeks before construction starts. A mailing was sent out to residents earlier describing the project and requesting information on buried items in each yard. Residents who have not responded to this letter should inform Garden Valley of sprinkler systems or other buried items that could be affected by the project. Smith informed the council that the construction crews will follow CDC guidelines pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic. Crews will not need access into houses, but may need to contact homeowners for information prior to digging. The crew members will follow social distancing practices while speaking with residents.
Curt Meyer, engineer with WSN, informed council members that the water and sewer project status has not changed much since last month. With the coronavirus limiting travel and social contact, he has not been able to follow up on unsigned easement letters. Lucie will mail the easement letters again to the residents who have not returned their signed letter.
Meyer was notified of a water tower leak by Mark Snobl, city maintenance staff member. The leak is caused by an old expansion joint and is not considered to be an emergency situation. Several options were given to the council for dealing with the leak. The council chose to go with the option recommended by Meyer. The necessary parts for the repair will be purchased now to ensure they are available when the repair is made.
Police Chief Dan Gazelka reported that there have been fewer traffic stops due to the stay-at-home orders. The department has responded to 34 calls for assistance in the past month. He has been addressing with parking issues with residents in the city. Gazelka has sent out several blight letters in the past few weeks. He has also provided a blight form that can be completed by city council members when they become aware of blight issues.
According to Adam Krog, Fire Chief, the fire department responded to ten calls in March. Five of these calls were for medical issues, two were for gas leaks, and three were for medical-related assistance. There has been one call so far in April for a motor vehicle accident. The department was able to hold the Daddy-Daughter Dance in March but have had to postpone the annual fish fry that was scheduled for April 25th. The $10,000 raffle will still take place. Raffle tickets can be purchased at several Clearbrook businesses including Community Oil, North Country Hardware, and Clearbrook Collision, or from fire department members. Mayor Dylan Goudge informed the council that the crumbling block on the fire hall will be replaced and will not be a costly repair.
Mayor Goudge asked if the fire and police department have the necessary equipment to limit potential exposure to coronavirus for those responding to emergency calls. Fire Chief Krog shared that medical protocols have changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fire department members are required to stand by and wait for other emergency responders if they determine that call situations are not life-threatening. The fire department has personal protective equipment, such as N95 masks, to use when they must respond immediately. Police Chief Gazelka stated that the police department evaluates each call situation, with safety being the first consideration.
Joy Walberg, liquor store manager, updated the council on the effects of the mandated closing of the bar. The bar is open for take-out food and off-sale liquor sales from 11:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. The liquor store staff is trying to keep expenses low during this period of limited business and sales. In order to maintain staff’s 40-hour work weeks while traffic at the bar is low, the council suggested staff do extra cleaning and painting.
Mark Snobl discussed repairs at well house #4. This is a required backup for the city water system. He added that residents should make sure sump pumps are discharging to the outside and not into the city’s sewer system. The council discussed spring cleanup. The city is not able to set a date at this time, as the landfill is closed due to coronavirus. Once it is possible to schedule spring cleanup, the city will notify residents.
Lucie Thompson presented the council with a bid for new gym lights. She will obtain two more bids for this project. Lucie continues to do background work for the purchase of a house by the pool. She will contact the bank holding a loan on the house for more information.
Several applications have been received for the open city maintenance position. Council members will review the applications and then determine the candidates that will be interviewed. Interviews will take place following social distancing, possibly through Zoom.
The council approved the hiring of Shawn West as part-time maintenance worker for the city. Shawn will work part-time, maintaining Kloster Park and assisting Mark as needed.
Residents have asked about the Summerfest and All-School Reunion activities scheduled for June. At this time, the city cannot decide between continuing with scheduled plans or cancelling due to uncertainty regarding the duration of the coronavirus stay-at-home orders. As of the meeting time, it is not possible to know if large gatherings will be allowed by the June Summerfest date.
The coronavirus pandemic is also creating uncertainty for planning Kloster park summer recreation activities and the city pool opening. Decisions on these activities will be made as more information becomes available to the city staff and council.
The council approved a building permit for a new home for Scott and LeeAnn Bakke.
One donation was received by the city in March. Council members approved the acceptance of $1,168 from the Clearbrook Community Club for fireworks. These funds were raised at the Valentine’s Day supper.
The council also approved the monthly claims of $83,469.99 and additional claims of $92,603.75.